


New Melody

by GalaxyMuse



Category: Saint Seiya
Genre: F/F, First Dates, Fluff, Fluff and Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-17
Updated: 2019-01-17
Packaged: 2019-10-11 19:03:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17452622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GalaxyMuse/pseuds/GalaxyMuse
Summary: After months of attempting to understand kendo in the hopes of getting the attention of one instructor, June finally managed to land a date with Sasaki Raven-a reserved, quiet yet witty woman about her age. Both are completely out of their comfort zone on this valentines date, but eventually, they learn they had nothing to be nervous about-not with each other at least.Canon/OC ship-come at me bro.





	New Melody

**Author's Note:**

> Sasaki Raven is an OC I've had for the bulk of my creative life, and when I got into Saint Seiya and back into writing I found a way to bring her back in. Raven is eventually discovered to have a small cosmo in this universe, which will eventually lead her to become one of the revived faction of Steel Saints (including Sho, Ushio, Daichi, and one of KnightlyWordsmith's OCs Adrien). In this story, the crew and even Raven herself have discovered she has a cosmo, which has inadvertently led to her supreme skill in the art of kendo (previously, Raven in my old works was the daughter of a samurai and ran her own dojo. Think a-la Miss Kaoru from Rurouni Kenshin). However, this was never June's goal- it was always to get a date with this mysterious reserved woman, who she fell head over heels for on first sight at Raven's other job. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy this fluff as much as I did making it!

New Melody

“Shofu!” Raven called to her grandfather through the screen door downstairs, “I’m heading out!”

 

Kenjirou was currently sipping tea while watching TV. Hearing his granddaughter, he turned to face her as she descended the steps. “That’s right, she wanted to meet at night, didn’t she?”

Raven nodded her head as she adjusted her soft pink scarf. “Yeah, at 19:00.”

Kenjirou slowly nodded in understanding, taking another sip of his tea before standing up and heading towards the door with her. “Very good, then. I just have a few requests of you before you go.”

Always willing to aid her grandfather when he needed it, she pulled out her phone and opened up a note app. “Alright, tell me.”

“Pick up some daikon and melon on your way back. We’re out.”

Raven typed the grocery items in. “Alright, what else?”

“Have fun tonight, and good luck,” he gave her a jovial smile.

Raven smirked and typed it in jokingly. “Is that all?”

“One more thing, actually,” he said, stepping up to her with something in his hand. He presented her with a pink slouchy hat. The material it was made of was soft and fuzzy.

“It belonged to her. She wore it all the time when she was in school. Take it if you like, it might match your scarf.”

Shofu didn’t need to say who “she” was. Raven took her mother’s hat from him and placed it on, checking her reflection in the mirror by the door. It really did match, leaving Raven to decide to leave it on. As much as she tried to calm her nerves, she just looked tensely at her reflection.

“You don’t look as eager as you should for this,” Kenjirou told her as they stepped outside, “do you still want to go?”

“Oh, well, I am, but...” Raven kept her eyes to the ground, letting out a soft sigh. 

“Nervous?” 

She nodded as they approached her bike, currently covered in a black tarp. “It’s my first date. I mean, putting aside how old I am now, I’m not really sure at all how this is going to go.”

“You were nervous during your first tournament too, do you remember that?” he told her, helping her fold the cover over her bike.

Dusting off a motorcycle helmet and placing it in a compartment under the seat, Raven nodded. “Yeah, I remember that.”

“What happened?”

“I won second place.”

“And what did you say after that on the way home?”

“Shofu, I was twelve. I don’t know how that really applies here,” she remarked, knowing what he was going to say next.

“You said, and very confidently I may add, that after that there was nothing scarier you could ever encounter.”

Raven remained silent as she put her helmet on, looking both ways before she spoke again just to make sure nobody else would hear. “She’s cute though, and I don’t want to screw it up,” she confessed meekly through her visor. It was almost irritating how vulnerable this June girl left her, and it would actually be irritating if she wasn't so cute.

Shofu laughed, patting her on the back. “I'm sure she feels the same exact way, so just have a nice time. Be safe, and remember what you told yourself.”

“Thank you shofu,” she said, waving to him as she drove off.

-

“Ok how's this?”

“You look fantastic!” Miho said to June as the latter did a small twirl in her outfit.

June let out a sigh of relief, checking herself in the mirror to apply her lip gloss. “I can't remember the last time I was this terrified.”

Miho waved off the concern. “With those chocolates and the look she gave you at the dojo, you've got nothing to be worried about.”

“Oh God, the chocolate! Thank you for reminding me!” June said as she quickly snatched a small box tied with a red bow from her nightstand.

Hearing her phone vibrate, June pulled it out of her purse and checked it. Thank goodness, he was always on cue to calm her nerves.

Bunny: Take a picture! I want to see!

June put on as calm a face as possible and snapped a picture, sending it to Shun. While waiting for a response, the buzzer rang.

“That's - I can't do this, I'm out. Tell her I got sick, that I broke my leg, anything,” June began to ramble nervously, ready to close the door to her room where it not for Miho holding it open.

“You are worrying way too much. Relax, you'll have a nice time! Breathe.” she told her, making lifting and pushing motions with her hands while giving a reassuring smile. “I'll get the door, while you put on the perfume Seika lent you.”

The phone buzzed again while June sprayed on the sweet smelling fragrance. Picking it up, it was once again Shun.

Bunny: You look great!! Tell me all about your new girlfriend when you get back <3

June furrowed her brow, texting back:

How are you so sure that's what's going to happen?

The response came quickly:

Bunny: I'm pretty sure if she asked you out, that's a sign that you're in. Now go get it! ;)

-

Looks like this is the place, Raven thought, checking the address June gave her on her phone. She propped up her kickstand and approached the building. An orphanage was a pretty interesting place to work, certainly out of the ordinary. Given how much of a tough impression June left at the dojo, it was nice to see that she wasn’t completely heartless.

Approaching the glass doors, she found them to be locked. Looking to her left she saw a buzzer, and figured it was what needed to be pressed. Doing so, she waited a few seconds, seeing a girl no younger than ten dash up to the door and meet her with a gapped grin. Pushing the door open, she looked up to Raven.

“Are you the pretty girl that's here to pick up June?”

“Uh, Excuse me?” Raven was a little thrown off by the question the child posed.

“June's been running around all day fixing her hair a bunch of times because she said a pretty girl was coming tonight. Did she mean you?”

Raven blinked, trying to avoid a blush from flattery. “Yeah, that's me I guess. Is she ready?”

“Hold on, I'll ch-”

“Meiko! What are you doing out here? We've told you not to get the door, haven't we?” A girl with blue pigtails rushed over to the precocious child, picking her up. With a nervous laugh she turned to the guest. “Hi, Raven, er sensei I guess?

Raven was relieved to be out of that strange conversation, recognizing the student that was with June the day she asked her out. She waved off the formalities. “Just Raven is fine outside of the dojo,” she told her quickly. “I don't think I got your name, though.”

“Oh! It's Miho,” she said, “It was a great practice, by the way. I had a lot of fun!”

“Glad to hear it. Will you be attending the next one? I have to apologize for the strange direction that spar went, I promise nine times out of ten your opponent won't summon a whip out of nowhere.”

Miho laughed. “Oh please, that's nothing next to what we're used to seeing around here.”

The possibilities that posed left Raven slightly concerned as to what these people, and their 'cosmo' as the brown-haired kid said it was, were used to seeing. “Well, you might find kendo a little boring if what happened was nothing by your standards,” she joked.

Miho quickly began to recover from her statement. “Oh, no way! I'll definitely be coming back if I can!” she promised.

“Great! Look forward to seeing you there.” letting a beat of silence pass, Raven shuffled her feet as she tried to pry about June. “So, um, I'm not sure if your friend June told you, but we kind of made plans for this evening.”

As flattered as Miho was that Raven was looking forward to seeing her at the next practice, she quickly shifted to the top priority. “Yup, know all about that. June will be out in just a second. I'll go get her for you,” she said with a smile, carrying off the child.

“June! It's the pretty girl!” Meiko shouted down the hall.

“Shhh!” Miho shushed the girl with a laugh.

June nearly dropped the phone as Meiko's voice carried down the hall. Oh no. Did Raven hear that? She probably heard that. Time to close the door for good and never leave. Shun could always contact her over text. They could slip food under the door. Bathrooms? She could figure that out in due time.

Planning out the next few years of her life in the four walls of her room, she heard a knock on the door.

“She's here! Get out there and don't keep her waiting!” Miho told her through the door.

There really was no getting out of this. Taking a deep breath, June stepped out and headed for the door. Miho flashed her a thumbs up as she went the opposite direction with Meiko in tow. Once the Chameleon Saint arrived at the doorway, she was greeted with a smirk from Raven.

“Hey,” June said as casually as possible.

“Hey,” Raven managed to get out with a nervous laugh. “I'd be worried about how I look right now, but from what I can tell I guess I don't have to be.”

June buried her face in her hands, an embarrassed grin on her face. “Yeah, let's just pretend you didn't hear that.”

Realizing she might have made her date embarrassed, she quickly corrected herself. “W-well, I mean, neither do you have to worry because, I mean, well,” she found herself stumbling as she tried to compliment June.

Her attempt at flattery and comfort only made June redder.

“You know what, let's just start over. Want to do that?”

June lifted her head from her hands and let out a deep breath. “Thank goodness, let's.” They shared a short laugh that began to break the ice.

“So, where to tonight?” June asked, curious to know where her first date would take place.

“One of the malls not too far away from here is hosting an event tonight with live musicians. I thought that might be a nice place to go. How does that sound?"

June smiled. "That works for me, I love live music. What's the bus stop we need to get off of?"

Raven furrowed her brow in confusion.“Bus stop?” Realizing what June meant with a sudden “Oh!”, she shook her head. “No no, I'm driving us there,” Raven replied, leading June towards her motorcycle.

As if this girl couldn't possibly get cooler. She has a motorcycle?! I GET TO RIDE ON IT?! June thought, hoping her mouth wasn’t gaping. 

“You keep that up and a fly’s going to land in there.” Raven quipped.

Dammit. June closed her mouth and looked away. Already her head was flooding with questions, which she proceeded to ask as Raven handed her a helmet.

“How long have you been riding motorcycles?” June asked, placing the helmet on.

Raven shrugged. “As long as I’ve been allowed to ride one. Maybe fifteen? Sixteen?"

“This looks like a really fancy one,” said June as she looked around through the tinted visor.

“Well, it's a lot nicer than the last one I had,” she bemoaned, remembering the loud gas guzzler she used for years. “I'm actually still paying it off. I’ll be done with the last payments soon enough.”

Now both wearing helmets, neither one was really sure how to handle not getting flustered by the inevitable next step.

“Is this your first time on one?” Raven asked.

June nodded.

Thank God for the helmet, Raven thought. It was hiding her furious blush as the next words miraculously came out smoothly. “All right, just hang on while I drive.”

Raven mounted the motorcycle first, with June climbing on soon after.

“Anywhere is fine?” June asked, not really sure where would be appropriate, given that they hadn't even clocked five minutes alone yet.

Raven gulped and nodded. “Yeah, but I guess for comfort, around my waist works.”

Butterflies in her stomach as she reached out, June slowly wrapped her arms around her date's waist. With a sudden rush of cold wind, June couldn't help but instinctively press herself against Raven's back for warmth. “Sorry,” she said as soon as the breeze passed, sitting upright once more.

“It's fine,” Raven assured, “It'll be way colder once we hit the road. Just hang on.” The cold was the least of Raven's worries as she cleared her throat and caught her breath. She had forgotten how to breathe momentarily as she felt her date push on her back. Was that perfume? She was certain she had caught a whiff of it earlier, and now with her so close it was easier to detect. Whatever it was, it had done its desired effect. The kendo student's heart fluttered, feeling like it was in sync with the engine’s pistons as she revved her motorcycle up.

-  
The frigid winter air whipped against June’s jacket as they rode through the city, with the buzz of the motorcycle’s engine making it difficult to ensure that they could hear each other if they tried to speak. Neither of them really knew what to say anyway, given the fact that their position on the bike was rather flustering for them both. Raven certainly didn’t know if a word could come out without stuttering. 

After about a twenty minute ride, they arrived at the mall Raven mentioned. Parking the bike outside, Raven cleared her throat as the two dismounted. “Did you do alright? Hopefully it wasn’t too cold back there.”

“Nah, the engine was surprisingly warm on my legs.” June replied, handing her the spare helmet as she fixed her hair. She didn’t want to speak for her arms, which were freezing despite staying clutched around Raven’s waist the entirety of the ride. 

“Alright, glad to hear it.” Raven said, leading her inside. The festival Raven mentioned wasn’t too far away from where they parked, though the pressing matter in Raven’s mind at the moment was dating protocol. 

Would it be weird if I went for her hand? Would it be weird if I didn’t? The thoughts raced through Raven’s mind as she walked alongside her date, keeping her hand in a fist as she went through her internal debate. 

“Oh!” Piped June suddenly, realizing she had nearly forgotten her own formalities. Veering to the side to sit at a bench, she rummaged through her purse to pull out the gift-wrapped box.

“That looks pretty fancy,” Raven complimented as she took a seat beside her. Then she realized what might have been inside. “Wait, is this for me?”

June blinked in confusion as she presented the box to her. “Who else would it be for?” Suddenly, embarrassment flooded her as a thin smile tugged at the corners of her lips. “This is what you do in Japan on Valentine’s day, right?” she asked with a shade of unease, given that Shun and Miho told her it was commonplace.

Crap. Raven didn’t plan for this. The tradition was for women to give chocolates to men on Valentine’s day, so she thought if she brought some for June, it’d come off as rude. Of course, she now realized how dumb of a theory that was, as she spiraled into her own panic.

“No,” Raven blurted out impulsively, immediately followed by “I mean yes! I just, I forgot mine back home. Sorry about that. Why don’t we share?”

The white lie worked, and a pleased smile returned to June’s face with a sigh of relief. “That’s alright, these would wind up being better anyway,” she reassured as she leaned back against the bench.

Her date was taken aback by such a bold statement. Then again, given how they struck up this date in the first place, she shouldn’t have been so surprised. 

“Are they, now?” Raven asked coyly, tearing away at the red wrapping. The small box underneath looked to have been for a brand name of chocolates, with heart stickers placed aimlessly all around it. She looked to June with an amused smile. “I guess you had helpers get this ready for you,” she teased as she admired the work. 

June shook her head in response with a light laugh. “I turned away from it for five minutes, and three of the girls had at   
it. One of the boys decided it needed a rocket ship, so it’s on the bottom.”

Raven lifted the box over her head to check. Lo and behold, a small sticker of Doraemon in a spaceship was slapped over several more hearts. “Tell them I said thank you. I think I’m going to keep it,” she grinned, lowering the box once more. “Thank you for the chocolates as well, of course,” she added as she lifted the lid.

She still couldn’t discern why June was so haughty about the candies, given that they looked just like any other chocolates that she’d find in stores. The treats varied from having smooth chocolate shells to being dusted in crushed nuts or cocoa powder. They certainly looked as appetizing as any other set she’d have picked up at the store.

Opting for one coated in matcha first, she picked it from its wrapper and raised it to her lips. “So are these a good brand or something?” she asked, popping it into her mouth.

 

The smirk she got from June could have made her swear she had been waiting for days to give her the answer. “Nope, they’re homemade.”

The kendo master spun her head back to June, her eyes popping out in surprise with a muffled huh. These were homemade? How is that possible?! As the matcha on the outside mingled with the white chocolate on the inside of the truffle, she was certain these were some of the best sweets she had ever had. Who could have come up with them in a regular kitchen?

June’s smirk shifted into a haughty beam. “I worked on them with Shun,” she explained, picking a caramel-filled heart for herself. 

Once she finished swallowing her truffle, Raven picked a dark chocolate rectangular-shaped piece. “He’s the one with green hair, right? Er, sorry for being so hard on him at last week’s practice.”

The Chameleon Saint shrugged it off. “He’s my closest friend, and I don’t take well to people who hurt him. You apologized though, so it’s all good. Consider that swing with my shinai a warning.”

Raven gave a firm nod before she took a bite of the chocolate. “Got it. Leave him alone.”

That brought her to another question that itched in the back of her mind ever since that day. “Your other friend, the one with the brown hair I believe-”

“Calling Seiya my friend is a stretch,” June mentioned as she took a piece covered in crushed almonds, “but go on, I know who you’re talking about.”

“He came over to me after our duel, mentioning something called a cosmo. That I had it. Do you know anything about that?”

After finishing her treat, June replied. “Well, how else could I have summoned that whip from my backpack halfway across the room during our spar? And for that matter, how you could keep up with me despite that?”

Raven smirked. “Guess so. I just don’t really get it, though. Sounds kind of out there, no offense.”

June waved it off. “I really don’t want to talk about work right now. We’ll explain more to you another time, if you’re interested in joining us. For now, how far are we from the music?”

“I thought you worked at the orphanage,” Raven countered as she closed the box and rose from her seat along with June. Maybe now wasn’t the time to try and understand mysterious side jobs and concentrate on showing her date a good time. Especially given how cute her smiling eyes were behind her glasses.

-  
In the center rotunda of the mall, a stage was set up with some musicians already performing. Along the outer edge were tables for other performers and night clubs to promote their work. For now, Raven and June took a seat by the back rows to listen to the performers. 

 

The inevitable awkward silence of a first outing assailed them both, until Raven cleared her throat to speak. “So, what do you think?”

June’s own thoughts on what to say next broke as she turned to Raven. “About?”

“About the music. I know it’s not pop or anything but after a while it kind of grates on my ears.” Good God, Raven. Way to sound like an ass, she thought. Then again, maybe June didn’t like pop. Then again, maybe she did. Then again, maybe she shouldn’t be making presumptions about her date’s taste in music. 

It suddenly made sense to her why it took twenty-five years for a date to happen. 

Seeing the nervous shifting of Raven’s eyes from the stage back to her, she smiled back and picked at one of her braids. “I like it, I really do.” she said as calmly as possible, hoping her sincerity was well-received. “I never really thought much about the blues,” she admitted as the saxophone player, pianist and bass player carried the melody. “I should check it out. Something about it feels familiar to me.” she tapped her foot to the tempo. “Like bolel.”

“Can’t say I’ve ever heard of that.”

“It’s from Ethiopia,” June explained, “that’s where I’m from.”

“Ah, neat. So I’m guessing you’re also a fan of rock?”

At that, June’s face flooded with pink. “Damn, it was only a matter of time before you brought it up, wasn’t it?” she laughed nervously, covering her face in embarrassment. “I’m so sorry about that.”

That look was back, the one her date got when she was flustered.Raven grinned back in delight. “Why apologize? I thought it was cute. I never saw someone come into the record store and ramble on that long about the Rolling Stones. Easily the best shift ever.”

June crossed her arms and looked away. “Well, they’re pretty good regardless of how badly I explained them.”

“More like how quickly.”

June whipped back around, her face even redder, but this time not from embarrassment. “Look, it was the first time I ever talked to you, how else was I going to act?”

Now Raven was the one who had to maintain her composure from the words of flattery. Shifting in her chair, her eyes darted to the floor. “I didn’t think you were interested, even back then,” she admitted, feeling heat rush to her ears. “This is kind of a new thing for me.”

A new wave of awkward silence passed between them as the blues piece ended. A jazzier piece started up as they still found themselves unable to talk to each other. 

Trying to figure out how to once again come back from her blunder, Raven scrambled to find something else to bring up. Coming up blank, a new realization hit her. 

Why be so scared of something new? Someone actually seemed to genuinely like her, and she was finding herself more and more reciprocating the feelings. June’s penchant for comebacks and pride were something she had never seen in anyone before. So, she opted to try and learn more. Things would play out however they would in the end. 

“You never answered my question, though. Is the Rolling Stones the only rock band you like?” she asked.

June looked up from playing with her purse’s zipper. “No, I like others.”

“I looked them up after that day, you know.”

June cracked a smile. “Really?”

“Yeah, I had already heard Paint It Black, but I had forgotten who did it. Figured I’d look more into their stuff. I really enjoyed Sympathy for the Devil.”

June’s enthusiasm grew. “There’s others I like. The Who are pretty good.”

“Oh, they really are!” Raven said almost too excitedly, having to keep her voice down as she noticed others looking at them both. Unsurprisingly, their looks lingered on June a little longer. Her date didn’t seem to mind it though, so neither did she. “My Generation is great,” she continued. “have you heard it?”

June nodded. “Don’t get me started on Queen either-”

“Oh, Queen?! I listen to We Will Rock You right before a match at tournaments!”

The two were as giddy as teenagers now, leaning close to hear each other as they continued to chatter. Even the tempo of the next jazzier piece the musicians played matched their excitement. 

“Don’t know how related it is, but I love House of the Rising Sun, The Animals one.” Raven added. 

“Did you know that was an American song first?”

“I did! Bob Dylan did it first, right?”

June’s grin was now uncontainable. “Yeah, it was a folk song he learned!”

“Whoa, now that I didn’t know. If we’re on the topic of Americans, then do you know Jimmi-”

“Hendrix?!” they both managed to say at the same time. Their eyes widened with joy as they shot up from their seats simultaneously. “All Along The Watchtower?!”

Once again speaking in unison, they may have done so with a little too much glee. They looked around to see even more people staring. Biting their lips in embarrassment, the two women giggled and stepped away from the stage to avoid disrupting even further. 

“So I guess there’s no way this is going to work out,” June joked sarcastically, “clearly we’re way too different.”

Raven clicked her teeth, shaking her head to feign sadness. “Too bad, I guess you’d probably hate the idea of shabu shabu as well,” she said as she tilted her head towards a restaurant in the vicinity. “It’s close enough to still hear the music if you’re interested.”

Turning on her heels to head for the spot, June looked over her shoulder at Raven. “Nah, sounds like an awful idea.”

-

Having ordered the beef for two, the ladies’s appetites grew as their broth and plates arrived. Waiting for the broth to begin to simmer, June opened her pack of chopsticks and looked to pick up a new topic with Raven, as they had been talking for some time now about their music tastes. 

“I have to admit, I was a little surprised when you asked me out in the middle of that fight,” she smiled as she worked to put the vegetables in the broth. 

Helping her out with her own set of chopsticks, Raven shrugged. “I was curious to see what would happen and I was sort of ready to end it.” She picked at a mushroom nervously before dipping it in. “I guess I was interested, too.” she said as her eyes darted down towards the broth. “Seeing you at practice all the time made me sort of hope you’d keep showing up.”

June tried not to explode out of her chair with the news that Raven had been interested in her for quite some time. Instead, she settled on dipping her first slice of beef into the broth to cook. As she swished the piece back and forth with her chopsticks, she found it impossible to make eye contact with Raven and not grin like a fool. “That’s good news, I guess. I was worried what you’d say to a girl saying she liked you.” She sucked her teeth in a bit as she realized how awkward that sounded.

“You’re the first one I’ve liked, I’ll be honest.” Raven was also thankful for choosing a meal that required concentration to prepare. Being this open about her feelings to someone she was just getting to know was overwhelming, albeit in a good way.

“I am?”

“Yeah, I-,” Raven paused. A bitter memory flooded her of her previous love interest. Just wishing him well at this point, she tried to not let it sour her current mood. Resuming her work on dipping her slice of cooked meat into some sauce, she shook her head. “I guess gender doesn’t really matter to me.” 

“Well, more power to you,” June said as she bit into her cooked slice of beef. “I for one can’t stand most men.”

“I kind of feel that way with people in general,” Raven smirked as she carried a few of the vegetables from the broth to her rice bowl.

“People are the worst, aren’t they?” June agreed wholeheartedly, enjoying another slice of cooked beef with rice. “They’re rude, and they don’t say what they mean.”

“They get on you for any little thing that’s not normal about you,” Raven added with a soft graze of bitterness, glad to see her date agreed.

“GOD, especially that!” June grunted, shaking her head as she went for some vegetables. “Luckily I’ve met people who are different. The majority are still pretty guilty.”

“Must be nice to have friends like that. I for one can’t stand to be around anyone for too long unless it’s my grandfather or the crows-” Uh-oh. Too much information. Raven braced herself for what might have been the dealbreaker of the night. 

June looked up from her bowl, eyes wide. Not in confusion, like Raven expected, but something akin to awe. “You have crows?”

“Y-yeah, sort of,” Raven smiled with a wavering confidence. “There’s a nest in the tree next to where I live. I’ve grown up with them, so they’re used to having me around.”

June put down her bowl of rice to lean in closer on her elbows. “Do they have names?”

Raven’s confidence solidified as her date’s eyes sparkled with interest. She could feel her heart skip a beat as she carried on with glee about her beloved pets. “Well, the mom and dad are Nagi and Nami, my grandfather named them. I named the babies. The one I get along the most with with is Furi. He even follows me around town if he’s familiar enough with the area.”

“Do you feed them?” June asked as she picked her bowl up again to eat. 

Raven continued on about her birds as they enjoyed the rest of their dinner. 

-  
Stuffed from their meals, the two decided to walk off the food as the music from the festival filled their ears.

“Did you like it?” Raven asked, unable to avoid glancing at June’s hand. The urge to take hold of it was growing again, but once more she wasn’t sure if it was protocol. She focused instead on June’s response. 

“Yeah, it was pretty good. I’ve only had shabu-shabu once before-OH!”

A rushed shopper collided into Raven from behind, knocking her to the ground face-first with a hard thud. As she sat up, she looked to see a flustered high schooler scrambling to collect himself. 

“S-sorry!” he cried, help her up. “I’m running late for my date!” The instant he finished helping her up, he gave a quick bow for forgiveness and dashed off in the direction he was headed. 

June shouted after him. “You probably won’t get far with manners like yours!” Satisfied with her comeback, she turned back to Raven. “God, how badly is he looking to get laid?”

Raven gave a tense laugh as she rubbed her eye. “Yup, sure was in a hurry.” Turning away from June for a moment, she continued to get a speck of dust from the ground out of her eye. Once its irritating presence vanished, she turned back around. “Well then, where to-”

She cut herself as June’s look of concern changed to curiosity. “You wear contacts?”

“Shit,” Raven breathed, rushing over to a mirror on the nearby wall. The eye she had rubbed was now deep blue, a contrast to the brown one that still had its contact in place. Embarrassment flooded her face as she tried to search for words and explain herself. To her surprise, she found that words could wait.

June was already kneeling on the ground, trying to look for it. “We’ll find it, don’t worry. It’s got to be close by. I know how much it sucks to not be able to see,” she reassured as she pushed the rim of her glasses up. 

That June was trying so hard for her only added to the guilt. “You really don’t have to, I don’t need them to see.”

The Chameleon saint paused her search, rising from the ground. “Then why wear them?”

Raven held her breath as she awkwardly admitted why she wore the cosmetic lenses. “It can be kind of a pain when you’re the only hafu in your classroom. Like I said, people are the worst, right?” she asked with a nervous laugh. “I- just wanted to blend in. I was tired of sticking out.”

June nodded, her heart sinking as Raven talked about her supposed shame. “I get it,” she empathized.,“I mean hell, look at me.”

While Raven enjoyed seeing June’s face rush with red when she was bashful or flattered, she realized that her date would stand out no matter where she went. Even as they stood there talking, Raven caught people giving June a double take as they passed, whispering among themselves. While she would have found their looks piercing, the air about June seemed to deflect them.

“I’m sorry,” was all Raven could manage to say. “I can imagine it’s not easy.”

“Sorry for what?” she quipped back, “I could care less about it, at the end of the day.” 

“It doesn’t bother you?”

“Why should it? I can’t help the way I was born. It’s annoying, sure, but I wouldn’t want to change just to ‘blend in’. If I were just like everyone else, I wouldn’t know who was looking at me in the mirror in the morning. I’m more than this,” she explained, rubbing her hands together, “but if that’s all people see, they’re the ones to feel sorry for.”

June knelt to the ground again to continue her search. “But if you need them to feel comfortable, I understand. Besides, not having the other one would drive me nuts.”

That was just it though, as Raven thought about it. She wasn’t comfortable wearing them. She hated wearing the damn things, and always felt relief when she got to take them off at home. Why hide who she was if it was such a hassle? The looks, the questions, they all might have gotten old, but at least without them she was being true to herself. The ones that looked and judged only on what they saw weren’t worth the effort of trying to please. 

“You know what? Don’t worry about it.” Raven said, kneeling down to meet her. 

June looked up in surprise. “Are you sure? It can’t be that far away.”

Raven looked to the ceiling momentarily as she picked out her second contact. Pulling out a lens case from her pocket, she placed the lens inside and tucked the container away. Helping her date stand up, she beamed as she looked to her, for the first time, as her complete self. “‘I’m ready to lay some pity on others for once.”

June gave her own joyful beam back. “Good. They’re nice by the way,” she flirted, biting her lip. 

Raven’s smile softened as she grazed her fingers against June’s. “They’re not as nice as yours.”

-  
The remainder of the evening was spent walking around the mall, taking the occasional break at a bench to continue talking or rest. At one point, June gathered up enough courage to do the unthinkable.

“This is my music,” she said, opening up the app on her phone to display her collection.

Raven scrolled through the collection, definitely agreeing with her taste. Curious as to one of the bands, she tapped it. A mix of jazz and a strange instrument she had never heard began to play.

“Oh, that’s bolel.”

“Ah, what you were talking about earlier?”

“Yeah, this is a pretty popular band back home.”

Raven listened through the headphone bud June shared with her, tapping her foot along to the rhythm. “I like it a lot,” she said as she nodded along. “I’d like to listen to more.”

“The mall’s going to close soon though, isn’t it?” June asked as she checked the time on her phone.

A coy smile slipped onto Raven’s lips. “I guess it’ll have to be on another day.”

Giving back an equally coquettish smile, June shrugged. “I guess so.” It was a miracle she wasn’t jumping for joy from the offer of meeting up again.

Continuing to flip through the collection, Raven’s brow creased with baffled amusement as pulled up one of the last things she was expecting. “The Spice Girls?”

Panicking, June skittishly scrolled through the album to another. “Uh, Shun gave it to me. I was just humoring him by keeping it there,” she explained with a shaky chuckle.

With a look that intimidated, Raven wasn’t buying it for a second. “Oh, really?” she asked, flipping more through the app, “Then why is one of the songs on your favorites playlist?”

The two could only laugh as June was caught in her bluff. 

-  
Riding home as the streets were emptier, June felt far less afraid to hold on by Raven’s waist, even pushing a little closer to her back as she watched the city go by. Raven’s focus on the road was made all the more difficult for it, but she could only hope that with time it wouldn’t be so bad to ride around with heat on her cheeks. 

Pulling up again to the orphanage, they dismounted the bike and walked towards the building. Holding hands, they stopped a few feet away from the door. Facing each other, neither one knew how to wrap up the evening. 

“Well, I had a really nice time,” June started, looking up towards her. 

“Me, too.” Raven agreed, idly running her thumb over June’s hand. “I’d like to do it next week too, if you don’t mind.”

Playing with Raven’s hand as she laced her fingers with hers, she smiled. “You mean I don’t have to fight you for it?”

Raven shook her head with a dry laugh. “No, I’d probably win anyway.”

June smirked. “Maybe I should just stick with the whip and leave the swordplay to you.”

“I think that’s a sound choice.” Swallowing back the butterflies in her stomach, Raven cleared her throat. “I wonder if there’s something I else I could leave for you, though,” she said softly as she pulled June closer, leaning in until their faces were inches apart. “If you’d let me, that is.”

June was beyond excited and wondered if this was all a dream. After tonight she realized they had more in common than she could have ever hoped for, and she had almost written off the thought of anyone falling for her. She couldn’t believe she might have closed herself for good from someone she found so fascinating, witty and loveable. 

“I think I’d be okay with that,” June allowed, closing her eyes in anticipation for her first kiss. 

The slightly taller of the two, Raven bent her head down to lean in. Her heart was pounding as she tried to make a good first impression for something she had never done before. For all the strange twists and turns that led her to this point, she was thankful for them. As odd as she was with her words, she was going to make up for it and show June how she really felt about her. Closing her eyes, she prepared to seal the gap between them.

Both were frozen in awkward silence as Raven kissed June’s nose. 

Backing away and covering her face with her hand, Raven began to giggle with embarrassment. “Can I try that again?”

Backing her head away to laugh it off, June cupped Raven’s face in her hands. Yup, Raven definitely was loveable. “Let me give you a hand this time,” she cooed, as the two closed their eyes for a successful kiss on the lips. Caught up in the joy of the moment, Raven wrapped her arms around her new girlfriend, even lifting her an inch off the ground as their lips remained locked. 

Feeling like she was being swept off her feet despite the small height, June grinned as they nuzzled noses after breaking their kiss. “Want to try again?” she asked as Raven put her down.

“Maybe next week,” Raven proposed. “Or sooner if you can?”

“I’m free Tuesday night,” June offered, holding up her phone. “I’ll text you my schedule.”

“I hope you play ‘Say You’ll Be There’ when you do!” Raven called to her as she walked towards her bike. 

June flipped her off, laughing as she realized she’d never hear the end of it for that Spice Girls album. Maybe it was a good thing as she saw Raven grinning mischievously from the gesture. She then began to text Shun as she turned into the orphanage, excited to relay the good news. 

Raven drove off to the market to get what her grandfather asked for before it closed. For as quickly as she could race down the empty road, it couldn’t match the speed of her soaring spirit. 

Tuesday night couldn’t come soon enough for either of them.


End file.
